reinforced by Mr. Jean Holder, head of the Caribbean Tourism Association.

Tourist arrivals in the Caribbean have fallen for the first time in 10 years, said the CTA secretary general. And he warned there was little sign of an upturn in the region's crucial North American market.

"Despite earlier indications that the long-awaited US economic recovery might be underway ... it now appears that 1992 will probably continue to be a year of little or no overall growth in travel to the Caribbean from North America,'' Mr. Holder told tourism officials in Grenada.

Reacting to a unique combination of adverse circumstances, tourist arrivals in the Caribbean in 1991 had fallen for the first time since 1981, he noted.

Addressing the annual marketing planning meeting of the Grenada Board of Tourism, he itemised what provoked the decrease in tourism: the war in the Gulf, recession in most major tourist-generating markets and the collapse of Pan American Airways and of several large tour operators.

"However, given the circumstances, the decline was relatively modest -- about 1.7 percent -- and a few destinations, notably Aruba, Bonaire, Cuba, Grenada, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, still managed to achieve impressive double-digit growth rates in 1991.'' Cruise tourism, he said, was another bright spot in 1991. The cruise ship trade grew by 9.4 percent, with Europe showing an increase of 13.6 percent in contrast to a 5.3 percent decline in passengers from the United States.

Mr. Holder said it was anticipated that, with the easing of the United States recession, there would be a strong rebound in US overseas travel.